International Politics and Management Consulting

I didn’t know much about strategy consulting prior to this summer – after all, I am an International Politics major at Georgetown and have never taken a business class before. Needless to say, I was very nervous about my summer internship.

My feelings of anxiousness quickly dissipated as soon as I boarded the L.E.K. bus outside of 75 State Street destined to take the 42 summer associates and consultants to Cape Cod to begin our week of training. From the get-go, everyone was so approachable and fun – from stuffing our faces with delectable lobster rolls to singing Karaoke and getting our groove on, to actually learning a thing or two about Excel and PowerPoint, I quickly found myself having separation anxiety from the people who would be returning to their home offices.

When I finally made my way to the Boston office, everyone was so welcoming and eager to help get me acquainted. One of the most remarkable things about L.E.K. is the people: everyone is so friendly, so kind, and so genuinely interested in helping you excel. L.E.K. has crafted a culture that leaves everyone invested in each other’s success: there’s a system of mutual support that pushes you to be your best self but also allows you to ask questions when you need to without ever being judged for it, and the employees reflect that healthy work environment.

That first Monday, I didn’t even have to check the allocations sheet to see what case I was on – my consultant welcomed me with an email describing the case and giving me relevant files to look over. Over the course of my internship, I have been on two cases, and though they were both growth strategies in the company’s retail industry, the work I was doing on each was very different. The one common denominator, however, was that I felt like I was a valued member of the team whose voice was heard.

At L.E.K., you interact with the most senior members of the company from the second you begin working on a case. Unlike other companies, the partners here know your name and you are given real work that contributes to the team’s overall success. As a Summer Associate at L.E.K. Consulting, you aren’t given meaningless tasks: you are assigned work that has a purpose and the real Associate experience. Working at L.E.K. taught me more than I had thought possible and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.